Foodways Tours
3 days · ~320 miles · from Memphis
Three barbecue nations in one diagonal: Memphis dry-rub ribs, North Alabama's mayonnaise heresy (it works), and Birmingham's modern pit renaissance — with America's oldest ballpark for dessert.
Payne's chopped sandwich at lunch, Cozy Corner's cornish hen mid-afternoon (trust this), dry ribs at the Rendezvous or A&R by night. Overnight Memphis; loosen the belt a notch preemptively.
Southeast to Decatur: Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, where Bob Gibson invented Alabama white sauce in 1925 — smoked chicken dunked whole. Compare at Whitt's? No — loyalty matters here. Overnight Decatur/Huntsville.
SAW's Soul Kitchen (the pork-and-greens plate that launched a thousand imitators), then pay respects at Rickwood Field, America's oldest ballpark, and Dreamland's original Tuscaloosa shack on the drive home — ribs, white bread, sauce, period.